Method and automatic device for loading colloidal materials and the like upon traveling platforms



Jan. 19,1932 eh 1,842,232"

mi iAk METHOD AND AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR LOADING COLLOIDAL MATERIALS AND THE LIKE .UPON TRAVELING PLATFORMS Fiatibd qply 274. 1929 2 Sheets-Shoot ,1

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INVENTOR ATTORNEY D. S. BAKER 1,842,232 LLOIDAL Jail; 19, .1932.

VICE 'FOR Lowms co METHOD AND AUTOMATIC DE MATERIALS AND THE LIKE UPON TRAVELING PLATFORMS Filed July 24, 1929 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT oFF1cE DAVID. S. BAKER, OF GREENWIGH; CONNECTICUT METHOD AND AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR LOADING COL LOIDAL MATERIALS AND THE LIKE UION TRAVELING PLATFORMS Application filed July 24, 1929. Serial No. 380,477.

This invention relates to a method and an automatic device for loading colloidal materials and the like upon a traveling'platform, such as that formed by the trays of the handling apparatus of my Patent 'No. 1,672,404, issued June 5,1928, when these trays are closely spaced in a common plane at the loading station. I

In order to load these trays on any travelo ing platform or belt evenly, the material must be dischar ed upon the platform inthe form of a uniform sheet extending trans-- versely to the direction of movement of the platform. There is, of course, no difliculty in discharging either a liquid material or a.

freely flowing pulverized material in such a sheet by merely causing itto flow through a long slot But when an attempt is made to load theplatform with a semi-solid of colloidal material, such as pigments, it is found that the flow through the discharge slot is irregular along the length of the slot, so that the depth of the material discharged on the platform, or the trays of which it is composed, is unevenacross the width of the platform. This not only makes it impossible to load the platform to its full capacity, but

' also seriously interferes with the drying or other treatment to which the material on the platform is to be subjected.

' The width of the discharge slot 11 may be adjusted. In order to accomplish this while maintaining an even slope of. the walls of receptacle down to the discharge slot, one of the side walls 18 ispivoted at its upper edge on a rod 25 extending between the end walls 15, so that the 'side wall 18 may be swung to move its lower edge towards or away from the lower edge of the side wall 17. To provide for such movement of the side wall 18 without leakage, thev side wall 18 has out- I turned flanges 26 at its ends, which enter overturned flanges 27 7 formed: at one edge of the end walls 15 to provide a slip joint between the side wall 18 and the end walls 15. The position of the lower edge of the side wall 18 maybe adjusted bynuts 28 held in forks 29 secured to brackets 30 attached to the end walls...1-5 sand engagingthreaded rods 31 pivotally attached to the side wall 18 near its lower edge. Since considerations deter-' mined by the treatment to which the material is to be subjected determine the rate of move ment of the traveling platform 12, the depth of the layer of material loaded on the platform'depends both upon the thickness of the sheet discharged from the slot 11 and the rapidity with which, the material flows through the slot. Both these factors are dependent upon the width of the slot, which may be adjusted by the nuts 28 so as to give the desired depth of. the material on the traveling platform.

I have discovered that, by applying high frequency vibrations to a .body of colloidal material uniformly along-the'length of a discharge slot, it is possible to cause the material to flow evenly through'the slot so that it comes out as a sheet of uniform thickness, and forms a layer of uniform thickness on a traveling platform passing under the slot. My invention, which is based on this. discovery, includes amethod and an apparatus for loading colloidal materials, and the like.

The nature of the invention will be'clearly understood from a detailed description of the loading device embodying the invention which 1s shown 11]. the accompanying draw- 13 run on tracks 14 located a short distance below the bottom of the receptacle 10 The receptacle 10 has end walls15, which may be mounted on a framework-16 which also supports the tracks 14, and "oppositely inclined side walls 17, 18 whose lower edges are spaced :1 short distance apart to provide the discharge slot 11.

Inorder-to cause a colloidal materialplaced in the receptacle 1,0 to flow evenly through the discharge slot 11,..I apply, evenly along the length of the receptacle, high frequency vibrations to the body of material in the receptacle 10 and particularly to that part of the material which is close to the discharge slot 11. The particular means shown in the drawings for'evenly applying the vibrations is-a rigid vibratory plate 20, Vertically placed in the middle of the receptacle 10 with its lower edge close to the discharge slot 11. The plate 20 is held in a central vertical position by guides 21 on the end walls 15 of the receptacle, which engage the plate loosely enough not to interfere with its vibration. The vibration of the plate is of very small amplitude and of high frequency, preferably not less than thirty-per second. The vibra-. tion of the plate is secured by attaching it, for example by means of two rigid rods 22, to a mechanical vibrator 23 of any known type, such as those customarily used for vibrating sifter screens and similar purposes. Because of its rigidity and its length, the vibrating plate 20 applies the vibration to the material in the receptacle 10 evenly along the entire length of the discharge slot 11. This vibration causes the colloidal material in the receptacle, which would otherwise drip through the discharge slot 11 in an uneven and irregular manner, to flow uniformly through the slot in the form of a sheet of uni form thickness which is deposited on the traveling platform 12 as a layer of uniform thickness.

The vibrating plate 12 most desirably contains holes 24: through which the vibrating material passes when necessary in order to maintain the upper surface of the material level at the both sides of the plate. This is conducive to evenness of flow in cases where the material is dumped into the receptacle 1O unevenly so that initially the level is higher at one side of the plate than at the other.

I have found that the even feeding of col loidal materials along the slot is the result of the even vibration of the body of the material along the full length of the slot caused by the long rigid vibrating plate 12 located within the body of the material. With colloidal materials, this result cannot be obtained by a stirring or raking action within the material, and I wish it understood, therefore, that in this specification and the claims that follow I have used the words vibrate and vibration in their physical sense to indicate a small amplitude, high frequency movement, as distinguished from the relatively large amplitude movements customarily termed oscillation or reciprocation.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for loading colloidal material and the like upon a traveling platform in a uniform layer, comprising a receptacle above the platform having at its bottom a long narrow slot extending transversely my hand.

across the platform, and means centrally located within the receptacle for vibrating the material in saidireeeptacle uniformly along the length of said slot.

2. Apparatus for loading colloidal material and the like, comprising a receptacle having a long narrow discharge slot in its bottom, and -means within the receptacle for causing vibration of material in said receptacle uniformly along the length of said slot.

3. Apparatus for loading colloidal mate-. rial and the like, comprising a receptacle having a V-bottom containing a long narrow discharge slot, and a uniformly vibrating element in said receptacle extending the entire length of the slot.

4. Apparatus for loading colloidal material and the like, comprising a receptacle having a V-bottom containing a long narrow discharge slot, and a rigid vibrating element in said receptacle extending near said slot along its entire length.

5. Apparatus for loading colloidal material and the like, comprising a V-sha-pcd receptacle having a long narrow discharge slot at itsbottoin, and a vertical vibratory plate in said receptacle with its lower edge near said slot.

6. Apparatus for loading colloidal material and the like, comprising a V-shaped receptacle having a long narrow discharge slot at its bottom, and a vertical vibratory foraminous plate centrally located in said receptacle with its lower edge near said slot.

7 The method of forming a body of colloidal material into a uniform sheet, which consists in causing the material to flow through a long narrow slot, and applying high frequency vibrations within the body of material uniformly along the length of the slot to cause an even flow through the slot.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set DAVID S. BAKER. 

